Wall Street Giant Morgan Stanley Amends Bitcoin ETF Filing With Coinbase In Key Role

Morgan Stanley is moving forward with its plans to enter the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) market, submitting an amended registration statement to the US Securities and Exchange Commission as it seeks regulatory approval.

On March 4, the Wall Street firm filed an updated Form S-1 for the proposed Morgan Stanley Bitcoin Trust, providing additional details about how the fund would operate. 

Morgan Stanley’s Bitcoin ETF Filing Details

The amendment outlines key structural elements, including how the trust’s Bitcoin holdings would be stored and who would be responsible for safeguarding them.

According to the filing, Coinbase Custody, a subsidiary of crypto exchange Coinbase, and The Bank of New York Mellon, or BNY Mellon, would serve as custodians for the fund’s Bitcoin. 

The digital assets would be stored in offline cold storage vaults, meaning the private keys controlling access to the Bitcoin would remain disconnected from the internet. This approach is designed to reduce exposure to cyber threats and unauthorized access.

However, the filing also makes clear that the custodians are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Instead, they maintain insurance coverage through private carriers. 

ETF Revival Lifts Bitcoin To $73,000

The timing comes as the spot Bitcoin ETF sector shows signs of renewed momentum, contributing to Bitcoin’s ascent to $73,000 earlier on Wednesday. 

BlackRock’s spot Bitcoin ETF recorded approximately $322 million in inflows in a single trading day, helping offset outflows from rival products offered by Fidelity and Grayscale. In total, the sector has attracted about $683.3 million in inflows so far this week.

Bitwise’s advisor, Jeff Park, previously said that launching a Bitcoin ETF would strengthen MorganStanley’s role in the crypto infrastructure sector, adding that such an initiative could create opportunities beyond the ETF itself, particularly in areas linked to tokenized assets.

Park also pointed out that establishing a presence in the Bitcoin ETF market could help Morgan Stanley attract professionals with expertise in blockchain markets and digital asset trading. 

Earlier this year, during Morgan Stanley’s fourth-quarter earnings call, Chairman and CEO Ted Pick emphasized the firm’s growing engagement in digital assets. 

He told analysts that the bank is “well positioned now in the crypto and tokenized asset space,” and noted that there is “a lot for us to do there,” signaling broader ambitions within blockchain-based finance.

As of this writing, Bitcoin was trading at $73,445, a one-month high following its February return to the $60,000 support floor. According to CoinGecko data, this amounts to a 7% increase for BTC over the 24-hour time frame. 

Featured image from NBC, chart from TradingView.com